Aidan Keranen
Aidan Keranen is an Australian racer in both the RaceDepartment Simulated Career Games. He was a part of both inagural seasons, for both the GP4 Formula 1 career and the RFactor Endurance career. At the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix, he became the first champion of the F1 category. Bio Aidan Keranen, hailing from Victoria, Australia, got his start in various forum related racing series before moving into the first Simulated season of Formula One. With Finnish heritage and name, Keranen goes to some lengths occasionally to be Finnish. Including accents and mannerisms, Keranen could be forgiven sometimes, though often he can be quite blunt and up front, a mixture of both Australian and Finnish heritage. F1 Seasons 1988 For the 1988 Season, Keranen was drafted to the Tyrrell Racing Orginisation in the number 3 car. He was joined by the British AI driver Julian Bailey. At the first race of the season, Keranen qualified for the first race on pole. The remarkable result was not expected, the resultant celebration was probably why he disappointed in the race. Overtaken quickly by Patrese and Omer Said, Keranen never really got going, eventuating in a DNF. In Imola, pole position was almost expected, and was looking close to happening, unfortunately for Keranen and Tyrrell, it never eventuated. Keranen lined up in 2nd alongside Old Wolf in the Williams. A tentative start saw Keranen eventually keep 2nd place, before taking full advantage of Wolf's slow re-entrance to the race after a pit. Keranen was barely challenged as he took revenge for the lost pole, taking the win. The general feeling at Tyrrell was that they were title challengers, Keranen duly took pole at Monaco to keep the confidence. That confidence however, didn't help as a slow entry to the first corner saw both newcomer Mauri and Prost overtake him. Keranen eventually finished the race down in 15th. At the Mexican Grand Prix, Keranen remarkably qualified well down the order, driving well in the tricky race conditions before succumbing like the majority of the race and sliding into a DNF. The team travelled to Canada with the new addition of Tobi Kederer in place of the now reserve driver Bailey. Keranen was quickly back to his best in qualifying, but again missed the front row by just .007 and pole by a mere .033 behind the two Benettons. The race ended slightly better, Keranen leading for numerous laps after Thierry Boutsen first collided with teammate Lintner and then slid off himself. But Lintner was not to be denied by Boutsen's (Keranen later referred to him as the third Tyrrell on track) collision and overtook Keranen, the end result being a strong second for the Australian. The result catapulted him into 2nd in the standings again. The next race was held in Detroit, just over the border. Keranen was able to take a well earned 3rd place on the grid, but a loose wheel soon ended his race in a good position. But the form shown by Tyrrell was true, Keranen qualifying on the front row alongside Kederer. The race was simple too, the Tyrrells racing away with a glorious 1-2 finish. At the British GP at Silverstone, Tyrrell were looking for a strong finish for their home race. Keranen, riding high in the standings, only wished to help the dream become reality. A strong quali, in 3rd, was good for Keranen, but within a few laps Boutsen collided with the Australian, resulting in a DNF. The superior horsepower of the Tyrrells was on show in Germany, although Kederer struggled to retirement, Keranen pushed forth, until a very late pit stop for an unknown problem (plus a quick top-up of Schweppes) resulted in him dropping down to 6th place. The next three races all resulted in big problems for Keranen and Tyrrell. A dominant 1-2 in Hungarian qualifying attributed to naught as Keranen retired with car troubles, as Kederer went on for an easy victory. In Belgium, the Arrows dominated, but Keranen was putting in a determined effort, and leading at the time that, again car problems, saw his retirement. Finally, Tyrrell travelled to the very fast Monza circuit, another track that should suit the high power Tyrrells. Keranen was leading the race easily, but within seconds of each other, both Tyrrells retired, Kederer in a massive shunt while Keranen was reported to be in a separate incident. Keranen at this point was still confident in the car, and in himself, even though the Arrows were taking dominance and the Tyrrells couldn't muster any finishes. Come Portugal, Keranen really needed some luck. Which he duly found. Even though he started 14th (he mentioned about feeling like John Watson), Keranen made his way up the field slowly, getting into second place before Jimmy Laad retired close to the finish. Keranen stated after the race how he felt that the win was going to happen soon, and that he was happy it happened now. Keranen went into the Spanish Grand Prix with good confidence, feeling like the tables had turned. In the tricky conditions, Keranen drove well and a combination of gutsy pit strategy and competitor mistakes brought him a second win in a row. Going into Suzuka, Japan, Keranen knew that a strong result ahead of Omer Said could secure the title with a race in hand. As Said started at the back, Keranen was never really challenged, and the Australian became the first champion of the catergory. He paid tribute to the team, stating that it couldn't be done without the level of support shown. For the final race, the new champion was on home soil, albeit in Adelaide not Melbourne. Starting from yet another pole, Keranen took the race, and held off a fast finishing Laad to secure a fourth straight victory and a win at home. This was his last race for the Tyrrell team, who thanks to his efforts alongside the consistent Tobi Kederer, won the constructors as well. 1991 For the 1991 season, Keranen moved over to childhood favourite team McLaren. After a poor 1988 season, this was seen as a step backwards for the champion, although Keranen saw potential along with a great car. At the season opener, Keranen nearly vindicated his decision with a drive that was a handful of laps from a victory. Complete Formula 1 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Complete rFactor Season Results Category:Drivers Category:RD Users